Flip N' Read

December 2017

Snow Sports Strength Series

Fitness Feature

By Samantha Lund

Photos by Taryn Emerick

As the snow begins to fall, prepping the mountain for ski season, make sure your body is equally ready to face a weekend on the slopes. A full day of skiing can leave your body exhausted and too sore for day two. Bellevue Club personal trainer Jerry Flynn shares a few exercises to prepare your body to move stronger and faster and last longer on the trails.

1. Single-Leg Romanian Dead Lift

Builds strength in the hamstrings and glutes for knee stability

Begin in a single-leg stance with the planted leg slightly bent and dumbbells resting in front of your thighs. Lower your upper body, and allow the dumbbells to slide down the length of your planted leg while raising the opposite foot. Lower your body until a slight stretch is felt in your hamstrings, then return to starting position. Complete 8–10 dead lifts on each leg.

2. Pump SquatBuilds endurance in low postures and e-centric control—perfect for remaining in control while your hips and legs react to bumps and turns on the slopes.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart while holding a medicine ball to your chest. Lower into squat position and, staying low, pulse up and down within a one- to three-inch range without returning to standing position. Complete three one-minute intervals.

3. Medicine Ball TapsIncreases core stability, strength, and posture, which helps to control speed and coordination between your hips and back while performing strenuous activities.

Sit on the floor with legs bent slightly in front of you. Hold a medicine ball slightly extended from your body and lean your torso back, engaging your core. Rotate your upper body using your core, and tap the medicine ball to the ground by your hip, rotate completely and tap the ground by your other hip. Rotate and repeat. Complete 8–10 full rotations.

4. Forward Lung with Overhead Press

Strengthens lower-body muscles while improving balance and full-body conditioning. Large muscles take a beating while skiing, but strengthening all the small muscles in a full-body motion can prevent injury.

Stand with your feet together, holding a medicine ball to your chest. Step one foot forward, and lower your body until your knees are bent 90 degrees. Press the medicine ball straight up over your head, keeping your back straight. Return the medicine ball to starting position, and push back up into standing position. Complete 8–10 lunges on both sides.

5. Side PlankStrengthens core and increases stability, which helps to control hip coordination and directional control while moving at high speeds.

Rest with your elbow propping up your upper body, hip resting on the floor and feet together, resting one on top of the other. Engage your arm to lift your body off the floor, then engage your core to hold your body straight at an angle from the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, and complete three times on both sides.

EXTRA TIP:

Try the Reverse Treadmill WalkBuilds muscle endurance in the quads and glutes; this can be brutal on the legs but doesn’t look like it

Walk on the treadmill at two to three miles per hour, then increase the incline to its full potential. Very carefully, turn around and begin walking backward up the incline. As you walk, drop your body into a 90-degree squat, similar to the angle your legs would make while skiing.